The Warrior's Beckoning

by Patrick Howard

  “Where are you?” it asked, sounding petulant. Through a crack in the door I could see it turn toward the wardrobe and approach slowly. “Could you be hiding?”

  My heart hammered so loudly in my chest I feared it would hear me, but the entity stopped and turned, looking at the tunnel entrance. “So you have chosen to run,” it said as a shadow darted past the entrance. The entity disappeared into the tunnel, chasing after the shadow.

  What was it that helped me? Slowly I opened the door of the wardrobe and stepped out. Both skeletons were gone, as were the bodies of my friends. Which of them had drawn the entity away? I slipped to the entrance of the tunnel and peered in.

  A cold hand grabbed my shoulder. “Go quickly, my friend,” Joe said. “You must catch up to the entity. It holds the key.”

  I was speechless. Joe was dead, yet there he was, instructing me. Was there another entity, a friendly one, inside Joe’s body? My question was left unanswered as Joe released me and vanished. I didn’t look back. The tunnel was mostly dark, dimly lit only by a light that would not reveal itself.

  As silently as possible, I walked quickly into the tunnel. A cold fog billowed from the darkness. The entity was near. I crouched low in the darkness and stayed still. With the fog came those whispers. The entity approached me and stood near.

  “What are you doing?” it said, kneeling not far from me. “Do you believe me to be evil?” Its laughter echoed. Did it know I was there? If so, why was it not attacking? I heard quick footsteps deep in the tunnel. The entity rose and followed the sound.

  I waited a few moments before following the entity. From the shadows, Sarah spoke to me. All I could see was her outline. “There is a greater force at work here, my friend. You and the entity are opposite sides of the same coin. You are the lock, and it is the key.” She disappeared after she spoke. As I continued through the darkness, I pondered her words. I had no idea what she was trying to tell me.

  The tunnel led to a dead end. As I turned, I came face-to-face with the entity. The fog around the entity began to dissipate, and its voice was near. “There is no time,” it said in a tone that sounded almost like concern. “I had hoped that by destroying this place and everything within it, I could prevent his entry.”

  “Whose entry?” I asked with confusion.

  “Darkness incarnate…” the entity replied. “What I am and what I have done pale in comparison to this entity. Something is changing. I am losing power. However, with the power I have left, I will return the girl to this world. You must get her out of here before the darkness can consume her.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “There is no time to explain. You have no choice but to trust me.” The entity raised its hands, and what fog remained to its form massed around it, and the entity vanished. In its place stood the little girl I’d seen in the iron bed.

  “Mister?” she asked in a frightened voice. “Have you seen my daddy?”

  The entity…who had he been before he became the fog creature? Had he been her father once? Perhaps the father from the Civil War log entry?

  “I don’t think so. I don’t know where he is. I’m sorry,” I said gently. “Please, come with me.” I extended my hand to her. She took it, and we walked away. What light remained began to fade. Darkness was coming.

  The Soldier’s Descent

  WITH MY COMBAT knife drawn, I ran through the dark forest. It was quiet this time. The only movement I noticed was the handful of shadows that shifted to watch me pass. Just outside the clearing, I spotted the entity and stopped to observe it before it became aware of my presence. That turned out to be just moments. The shadows surrounded the clearing, focusing on the creature.

  I stood and approached the creature. It turned and watched me as I neared but made no move against me. Instinct instructed me to stand down; emotion told me to attack. I stopped ten feet from it.

  “I’m sorry,” the creature said to me. “Acting under the influence of the fog entity, I have killed so many.” The creature’s voice was thick with sorrow. “There is little time. A darkness is coming that seeks to consume everything within this place. The ghost hunter is attempting to recover Hope from this darkness, and you must hold off these creatures for as long as possible. Go!” The creature vanished into a black cloud. The shadows that had massed around the perimeter of the clearing pulled back and swarmed toward the tunnels.

  I took off in a sprint, knowing I could not get to the tunnels before the shadows in time to fend them off. Perhaps I could draw them away instead. The creatures had funneled into the shell of a house, leaving me no way to enter from there. But if I could reach the bunker…I moved through the dark trees, whispers of fear and doubt echoing all around me. When I reached the bunker, I found it scarred from battle. Inside, I snatched up the BAR, checked the clip, and stocked up on ammo. There was a third exit from the tunnel, the mine entrance. I entered the tunnel and activated my head lamp.

  The creatures had either not yet breached the tunnel system or they were being uncharacteristically coy about it. I dashed through its twisting corridors toward the old section, where I encountered the ghost hunter.

  “They’re coming from multiple directions,” he said. “I’ve got to draw them away.”

  “Away from what? The…thing…talked to me. It told me you were ‘recovering Hope.’ What did it mean?”

  “Hope is a little girl. I’ve got to draw them away from her. I sent her ahead,” he said. “The Spirits of Decay are coming…I can feel them.” He peered into the shadows that danced around us.

  I readied my rifle, but he placed his hand on the barrel and pushed it away. “Get out of here!” he said. “They’re attracted to me! Save the kid! Go!”

  I knew I had no choice. I couldn’t hold off the dead spirits as well as the shadow creatures. I left the ghost hunter behind. As I ran into the darkness, I heard him scream, and I turned to see the Spirits of Decay surrounding him. Their scythes tore into him, diminishing his spirit with each swipe. I spun around and ran.

  The creatures massed behind a wooden door. The corridor had two ways in—or ways out. I was fairly certain that my only way out was death, but I was determined that it wouldn’t come easy or be for nothing. The creatures’ screeches grew louder as more of them arrived, ready to attack.

  Well, I wasn’t ready to allow them the pleasure of shredding me. I was all that stood between them and the girl, and I would not allow them to pass without an all-out battle.

  I kicked the door open. The creatures froze at my frontal assault. “Come and get it, you bastards!” I opened fire with the BAR, driving them into the narrow tunnel. Slowly they gained ground, crossing over their dead to reach me. With each inch gained, I moved back, pausing my fusillade only to reload. Each time I had to slide a full clip into the rifle, the creatures gained more ground.

  It wouldn’t be long. I was on my last clip.

  At my back I felt the cold closing in. More Spirits of Decay were coming for me. I drew my pistol and fired into them, but it barely slowed their advance. I dropped the useless rifle and prepared myself. I had to wait until they were almost on top of me. I reloaded and fired my pistol, waiting for the proper moment. Just a few more feet.

  “You may get what’s left of my body,” I said, “but you’ll never get my soul!” I held the grenade close to my chest, next to the three others in my pockets that would detonate with it. As a Spirit of Decay thrust his scythe into me, one of the hounds lunged for me. I pulled the pin. There was a bright light, a deafening explosion, and then blackness.

  The Last Stand

  THE REMAINING SECURITY teams joined the Survivor, Joel and I. as the chambers pulsed with energy. Twelve men stood in the hallway, three lay prone in the center, three crouched behind them, and the last three stood. The three of us stood in the center of the room. Three guards stood at each side of the chambers. The lights began to flicker on and off. I looked at Joel, who had raised his laser pistol. Some of the guards were equipp
ed with laser rifles as well.

  “Spirits of Decay are coming,” the Survivor said. “Be ready.” One came out from behind a guard and brought its scythe down upon him before vanishing. The guard fell to his knees.

  “Ready your EMF meters, now!” shouted the soldier beside me. His meter spiked, and he pointed at the floor. Joel aimed the laser rifle toward the spot and fired into the darkness emerging there. The spirit shrieked and vanished.

  The team to our right fired into a wall, and the team to our left fired into the ceiling. The shadows were moving all around us.

  “The elevator is coming down!” one of the guards said over the radio. The Spirits of Decay receded…briefly. The first cylinder became active, and Daniel’s body fell into a slump as a cloud of energy entered. Two more to go…the elevator stopped, and the doors opened. A bloody and badly beaten man limped out.

  “Help me!” he cried out. He faltered and fell to his knees and began to crawl toward us. Two black hounds tore into his ankle and pulled him into the black cloud that appeared. With a scream he was pulled back in silence. Life drained from him until only a dried husk remained.

  From the dark cloud came two black hounds and two of the small shadow creatures. All three teams opened fire, and the creatures fell instantly. The shadows paused, and the lights flickered some more. A Spirit of Decay rose from the floor by the wall to the right of us. It thrust its scythe into the wall and formed a black hole, from which a black hound lunged out and onto one of the guards. One of the smaller creatures followed, swinging its scythe at the other guard. I fired at the hound. The guard fired at the shadow creature. Both dissolved just as David’s cylinder became active. His body fell, lifeless, as the mass of energy around him vanished.

  One more to go…

  Creatures poured into the room from the black holes created by the spirits’ scythes. When a new black hole opened up on the ceiling, we focused our fire on it. The Survivor fired rapidly into the Spirits of Decay as they appeared. Another black hole opened to our left. We were being surrounded. The teams in the hall were holding on, but for how long?

  Finally, Frank’s chamber became active, and his body fell. The mass of energy entered into the same darkness. The administrator called over the intercom, “All personnel get to the emergency exit now! Self-destruct mode is now active!” A countdown followed.

  “Where’s the exit?” Joel asked no one in particular.

  “Over here!” shouted a soldier over the gunfire. The exit was behind the chambers. The teams in the hall fell back first, and we provided cover for them while they raced toward the emergency exit. The Survivor followed them, leaving nine of us to defend each other. We fell back as one and moved to a lift opened by a heavy hatch. The door was closed and locked as the lift was activated. The creatures pounded on the door. As it rose, the ceiling opened up, revealing the looming trees. We could not see the sky.

  “Evac is coming. Rendezvous with the helicopter at the abandoned mine. You’ll only have a minute on the surface before the facility explodes. Move quickly!” The administrator’s voice was replaced with static.

  We arrived at the surface and sprinted into the forest.

  “Everyone take cover!” the soldier ordered. Each of us ducked behind a tree and crouched low. Seconds later, the facility’s self-destruct activated with a blinding flash. A powerful shock wave forced the trees to bow. Turning away from the smoking hole, we ran deeper into the forest toward the entrance to the mine. There was a clearing there—the only possible place for helicopter extraction.

  The Survivor stared into the darkness as we set up a defensive ring. “They are all dead…” he said softly. He felt the ghost hunter’s life fade. He felt the soldier’s defiant explosion snuff out his life-force. A little girl ran out of the mine amid the smoke. The Survivor knelt down, and she ran to him, crying.

  As he picked her up and held her close, he turned to me. “A shadow is pursuing her. It must not take her.” Joel and I ran to the entrance and peered into the darkness. We saw movement. We fired short bursts into the mine as the shrieks continued to echo.

  I heard the helicopter approaching along the horizon. The security teams fired into the forest as the shadows circled around us. I knew what must be done. We would be left behind for the future of mankind. The shrieks intensified and grew in number as the helicopter hovered in the clearing. The Survivor ran to it and jumped in, setting the girl into a seat and buckling her in. He looked back at me, and our eyes met. No fear…

  The Survivor’s Ascent

  THE HELICOPTER LIFTED us into the air, leaving behind just a handful of men to face the darkness. I had read no sense of regret in Rick’s mind and seen no fear in his eyes. He was strong to the end. I could feel the others weakening, though, and I could hear the gunfire and unearthly shrieks even over the loud blades of the chopper as we made for the horizon, until finally we were too far to hear the sounds of battle.

  The little girl beside me, dressed in nineteenth-century nightclothes, carried a doll with a glazed porcelain head and a sawdust body dressed in multiple petticoats and a high-neck silk dress. She was thinking about the battle we’d left behind and the amazing fact that we were flying in a large metal whirligig, but she did not seem frightened. A strange power radiated from within her; she was unique. Her name was Hope.

  We flew for a few hours. The pilot had informed us that we would be touching down soon. Aside from that, no one spoke. Finally, the helicopter hovered over a helipad and slowly descended atop a three-story building, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Moments after we landed, a man in military uniform opened the helicopter’s door and motioned for us to exit. I unbuckled the girl and carried her off the helicopter, following the soldier inside the building.

  There we were met by a young woman in a tan suit. “You’ve done well,” she said to me. She stood in the doorway of what looked like a training area. I said nothing. “You will be employed as our specialist. You have proven yourself to be strong and resilient. You will be trained to unlock your full potential.” I knew what she had in mind and that I was not being given a choice. The girl was taken from me. She, too, would undergo training. Perhaps some good would come out of it somehow…

  Part II

  The Beckoning

  SHE BECKONED ME in a dream, her eyes beautiful, alluring. I watched as she was relentlessly pursued. “Come to me, my Warrior,” she said, pointing to a street sign. It held not only an address, but a date. An arrow pointed to an adjacent building: 11 Plymouth-Sorrento Road, January 1, 2009.

  What did it mean? As I pondered, I caught a glimpse of what pursued her. It was a man in frame but a shadow in appearance. He laughed menacingly, pointing at me.

  “You cannot save her,” he said, with an evil grin. A strange sensation overcame me. Was this not a dream at all but real? A message? The woman looked at me again, and our eyes met. She was so beautiful—how could she be real?

  She vanished behind a door, and I remained frozen. The shadow followed her, still laughing. Everything went dark, and I woke up. The clock said midnight. I had been asleep for only a few hours.

  Is that a real address, 11 Plymouth-Sorrento Road? I wondered. I looked at the clock again and saw the date. The first of January in 2009. I sighed. The burning desire to investigate overpowered me. I slid out of bed, and I slipped on my nearest clothes, my uniform shirt and the black dress pants I wore with it. I hung my flashlight and holster on my belt, placed my EMF meter and infrared thermometer into my pockets, and reached for my God’s Army hat. I left the house and started my car.

  “She called me her Warrior. What did she mean?” I plugged the address into the GPS, and it was real—and local. I put the car in gear. I didn’t know what was going on, but I intended to find out.

  The GPS led me to the address from the dream. It looked exactly as it had appeared then, too—a large, three-story building, like an office building or a hospital. I parked some distance away and approached on foot.

&
nbsp; To the right, along the corner of the building, I heard rushing water. Shining my flashlight on the source, I saw a maintenance entrance to a sewer system, a tunnellike opening, like a subway entrance. It didn’t appear to extend down very far.

  I left the underground entrance behind and approached the front door of the building. Before I could knock, a light flickered on inside, and a young woman peered through the window. Our eyes met; it was her. Her eyes—I could easily become lost within them.

  “Open the door,” I said to her. She smiled, shaking her head no.

  “I’m here to help. Let me in!” I called to her. She maintained her smile, turned to the right, and walked away. Behind her, a shadow followed—the same shadow from the dream. Its menacing laughter echoed loudly even through the locked door. I had to get inside. I couldn’t let her face the darkness alone.

  I turned to the sewer entrance, adjusting my flashlight to flood.

  Pipes ran along the ceiling and the upper half of the walls. Most were covered with a dense coating of rust. I figured it was my only way in, but I approached it with caution, taking the few steps down slowly. Once I was inside the small, square area, I shone my flashlight about. The water entered from the right, sluiced down a slope, and rushed toward the building. I pulled my EMF meter from my pocket and activated it. No readings…that is, until a shadow darted in front of me. Laughter echoed throughout the chamber, following the direction of the water.

  The meter bounced wildly, the readings fluctuating. Then they stopped. The voice fell silent, too. I followed the direction from which it had seemed to come, but that led to a dead end. I glanced at the path that ran alongside the water. A valve moved, just behind me, turning slowly. I spun around and watched as it seemed to move on its own. The water drained quickly, and the valve stopped turning. I peered over the edge of the walkway into a newly formed path about eight feet down.